Zach Parise scratched for Game 1 vs the Golden Knights

While the Minnesota Wild have yet to make an official announcement, it appears that one of their highest-paid players will be sitting out the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. The Wild held their final practice before heading to Las Vegas for their first round series against the Golden Knights on Saturday, and star forward Zach Parise was noticeably absent from the forward lines rushes.

Here's how the line rushes broke down on Saturday:

Foligno - Ek - Greenway

Kaprizov - Hartman - Zucc

Fiala - Rask - Johansson

Bonino - Sturm- Bjugstad

Forward line rushes for the final #mnwild practice before heading to Vegas.

Foligno -Ek- Greenway
Kaprizov -Hartman- Zucc
Fiala -Rask- Johansson
Bonino -Sturm- Bjugstad� Ryan Carter 👃 (@Ryan_Carter22) May 15, 2021

As you've probably noticed, Parise isn't on that list, and there's reason to believe Evason has opted to keep him on the bench when the season's most crucial games begin. Over the course of the regular season, the Wild's coach has chosen to significantly reduce Parise's presence on the squad, even making him a healthy scratch on several occasions. As the Wild's all-time leading scorer in the playoffs, leaving Parise on the bench would undoubtedly be seen as a controversial move by many.

Credit: HockeyFeed